


Miss Atomic Bomb

by pleasanthell



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-06
Updated: 2015-03-06
Packaged: 2018-03-16 14:45:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3492278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pleasanthell/pseuds/pleasanthell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>However, the three diagonal lines painted over the woman's face and the dark red hair told Clarke that the woman in front of her was definitely not Lexa. Her armor was definitely grounder based, but flecks of light blue accents were definitely not something Clarke had seen before.</p><p>“Who-who are you?” Clarke shifted her weight, not feeling entirely comfortable in the presence of her rescuer.</p><p>The woman looked Clarke over, shifting her jaw from side to side as if deciding whether or not to tell Clarke. Finally, she looked around the room, seeing that she had everyone's attention. She breathed in slowly and then answered, “I am Costia of the Ice Nation.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Miss Atomic Bomb

It was over. There was no way they were going to get out of Mount Weather. They were surrounded. Guns were trained on them. Cage had a smug look on his face.

Clarke swallowed, looking around, scanning for any way they could get out. Any air vents or flaw in the electronic doors. There was nothing. She didn't see any way out. It was over.

“Now we have enough bone marrow to take all of us to the surface,” Cage put his hands on his hips, knowing that he had won.

“There has to be some way for us to make a deal,” Clarke took a step toward Cage, trying to reason with him. “You can't just take our bodies.”

Cage shrugged, “We've been doing it with those savages for years. You're not special.” He nodded at her, “You're dressed like them.”

“I-” Clarke's speech was cut short by the lights going on. Emergency yellow lights flickered on. They were dim and ineffective close to the ground. Clarke knew that it was her chance. She started to move to the closest guard as low and as fast as she could. Flashlights were clicking on all around her, and she was caught in a beam. She put her hands up knowing that the flashlight that was pointing at her was attached to a gun.

Behind her, a flashlight snapped off. There was the sound of the struggle, dull thuds and a sickeningly familiar sound of a knife piecing skin. All the lights around her started flying around, trying to find out what happened. Another light disappeared. A gun went off and more lights snapped off.

“Get down!” Clarke called to her people trying to keep them out of the gunfire in all of the chaos.

Lights kept disappearing, one right after the other and then two at a time.

Then suddenly the overhead lights came back on. Clarke moved her hands from over her head and looked around. She slowly pushed up onto her knees, finding that all of the soldiers were down, their throats' cut. Clarke's eyes shot to movement at the door. Two grounders stepped out of the room. They were smaller in frame, but covered in furs and masks.

Clarke started to walk after them when another figure filled the doorframe. She took a step back, her stomach dropping. The long sweeping cape and pauldron made her eyes shoot up to the face, hoping that Lexa had come back.

However, the three diagonal lines painted over the woman's face and the dark red hair told Clarke that the woman in front of her was definitely not Lexa. Her armor was definitely grounder based, but flecks of light blue accents were definitely not something Clarke had seen before.

“Who-who are you?” Clarke shifted her weight, not feeling entirely comfortable in the presence of her rescuer.

The woman looked Clarke over, shifting her jaw from side to side as if deciding whether or not to tell Clarke. Finally, she looked around the room, seeing that she had everyone's attention. She breathed in slowly and then answered, “I am Costia of the Ice Nation.”

Clarke felt her stomach drop to the floor. Her friends started moving around her, trying to help out the sky people who were in chains. Clarke couldn't seem to move. She just stared at the woman standing at the door. She finally managed to choke out a few words, “Lexa's Costia?”

Costia quirked an eyebrow at Clarke, “The Commander told you about me?”

“She told me you were dead,” Clarke answered, clenching her fists. She was scared of what Costia was going to say next. Lexa had already pulled the rug out from under her. She wasn't sure she could handle another betrayal.

Costia surveyed Clarke up and down. She saw the tense stature, the armor that looked vaguely familiar, and the way that everyone else was watching her. Costia smiled wickedly, “It seems that you have been lied to.”

Clarke felt sick. Her stomach was churning. She had been lied to and betrayed. She had been played. Her people were pawns in Lexa's chess match and she let it happen.

“Quickly,” Costia told Clarke, “We don't have much time.” She turned around, her cape fluttering dramatically behind her.

Clarke forced herself to move. She picked up a gun. She looked over at her people. They were all free, a few picking up guns themselves. Clarke scanned the bodies on the ground and found that Cage wasn't among them.

“Let's go!” Costia barked from the door.

The sky people stepped out, following her and her two soldiers out of the small room they were kept in. Costia walked through the facility seemingly without fear. She led them to the room where grounders were kept in cages. She moved to the cute that Clarke had escaped from when she had been trapped in Mount Weather. Costia pointed one of her soldiers into the chute first.

He jumped in without question. A few seconds later a whistle came up the chute.

“Who is that?” Bellamy asked Clarke, keeping a wary eye on her.

Clarke shifted her weight, “Lexa's ex.”

Bellamy wasn't sure how to take the information or what he thought of it. He licked his lips, “Do we trust her?”

“No,” Clarke quietly answered, “From now on, we trust no one that wasn't on the Ark.”

Although he was a little shocked, Bellamy nodded taking the order, “Okay.”

Costia started telling the sky people to go down the chute. They all looked to Clarke who nodded. They didn't have much of a choice. Jasper went down first, followed by Monty. The rest of the sky people started to trickle down. There were no sounds of a struggle down the chute so Clarke was content to follow them. She found herself the last one standing in the room with Costia.

“You're angry,” Costia stated before Clarke could slide down the chute. She held Clarke's eyes, “Lexa has deceived much wiser than you.”

Clarke just set her jaw. She didn't want to talk about it. She wanted to get her people out of there. She would deal with Lexa later. Clarke pushed off down the metal chute, this time ready to land on her feet. She found that all her people were okay, save for a few twisted ankles.

Costia landed like a wraith, gracefully, but powerfully. She moved through the group, everyone parting for her. “This way.” Clarke followed closely behind Costia, knowing that although she had a sword, Costia was hopelessly underprepared for a reaper.

They passed a few tied up reapers, making the pit in Clarke's stomach that much deeper. They were close. They were so close to carrying out their plan and Lexa just gave up. She felt the sky people to the wolves and Clarke was never going to forgive her for all the treachery. She understood when they were standing on the side of the mountain and Lexa looked genuinely gutted about her decision. However, upon learning of the manipulation Lexa laid on her – the story about sacrificed love for the greater good – there was no mercy left in Clarke's heart.

They exited the grounder door where Octavia had come in. Clarke looked back at Octavia. Her face was hard. She was angry. She had been abandoned as much as Clarke had. They shared a glare, both knowing that they had been hurt by people they trusted.

The guards held the grate open for the sky people. Clarke stepped out toward the forest first. The sun was starting to come up. She watched Marcus and her mother walk out together. Bellamy stuck close to Octavia. Her people had made it out once again, thanks to strangers.

“We can make her pay,” Costia offered to Clarke as they regrouped at the top of the hill. “She betrayed me as well. She handed me to the Ice Nation when she was finished with me. She didn't know that I would find favor with their leader.” Costia looked into the forest around them, “Lexa is brilliant, but a snake.”

“I just want to get my people home,” Clarke answered, her voice scratchy from exhaustion and emotion.

Costia nodded, “We will take you there.”

“Why-” Clarke's words stopped when she saw movement. Three horses were racing toward them, their riders low to keep their speed. One of the riders pulled up when they saw the group.

Clarke pointed her gun at them before the horses stopped weaving through the trees and stopped in front of them. All three riders were quick to dismount, Lexa's boots touching the ground first. Bellamy adjusted his rifle under his arm, ready to fire when Clarke was.

Lincoln ignored the guns and rushed toward them. He wrapped his arms around Octavia, burying his face in her hair. She clung to him, closing her eyes. They whispered grounder words to each other, soft and desperate.

Lexa took a step toward them, but Clarke raised her gun, “Not another step.”

Indra reached for her sword, but Lexa put her hand out, stopping her. “We were coming to help.”

Clarke snorted. She shook her head, lowering her gun, “You had me fooled. About everything. The kiss, the whole unity speech, Costia.”

“Costia?” Lexa asked, like she'd just been punched in the gut.

Clarke looked next to her finding that the redhead wasn't looking at Lexa. She had her back turned, watching Lincoln and Octavia. Her head slowly raised, and she spun around. A smile crossed her face, but it didn't seem joyous. “Lexa.”

Clarke watched the normally composed Commander waver. If Lexa looked like she had been punched in the gut before, the Lexa in front of her had been stabbed. Lexa put her hand on her horse to steady herself, “Costia.” She breathed out, but looked like she couldn't get enough air into her lungs. All of these things were small to other people, but telling to Clarke. Lexa's hand moved to the hilt of her sword. “What is this?” Her face grew hard.

“You betrayed me,” Costia took a measured step toward Lexa. Costia drew her sword, “And you will pay.”

Lexa blinked. Something about her face looked completely bewildered to Clarke. She couldn't tell what it was, but something wasn't right.

“Stop,” Clarke told Costia, stepping up next to her, then around her between her and Lexa, “No one dies.”

“She betrayed you,” Costia looked at Clarke like she couldn't believe such idiotic words were coming out of a person, “She left you to die.”

Clarke set her jaw. It still hurt when Costia said it, but Clarke slowly shook her head, “She did what she had to do for her people.”

Costia looked past Clarke at Lexa. Clarke turned as well wanting to see what was happening with Lexa. Just as her eyes met Lexa's she felt a boot strike the back of her knee. She fell to the ground, her gun skidding away from her. There was a sword to her throat before she could move.

Lexa drew her sword. “Stop!”

Costia smiled. “She is yours.”

“She does not belong to anyone,” Lexa growled, “Let her go.”

Lincoln started to move for Costia, but Costia's guards drew their swords as well, one of them grabbing Abby as a hostage and shield.

Clarke licked her lips, careful not to move too much against the sharp blade. Her eyes caught Lexa's, “You didn't know.”

Lexa slowly shook her head, her gaze moving to Costia, “Your fight is not with her.”

“She is yours, so my fight with you is with her,” Costia grabbed a fistful of Clarke's hair and pulled her head back, exposing her neck.

“She is not mine!” Lexa yelled at Costia, taking a step forward.

“The way you look at each other tells a different story, Heda,” Costia looked down at Clarke. Her voice grew condescending, “She's cute. Smart. A little too trusting to be an effective leader. If she lived a little longer, maybe she could have gotten better.”

A knife sailed through the air while Costia was looking at Clarke and embedded itself in Costia's shoulder. She took a step back, her sword falling from Clarke's neck only leaving a small cut. The guard that was holding Abby looked back at Costia and Abby jerked away from him. Bellamy shot him as he was reaching for her again.

Costia pulled the knife from her shoulder and threw it back at Lexa, hitting the Commander in the stomach. Lexa doubled over and Costia disappeared into the forest with her remaining guard. Bellamy started to run after her, but Octavia caught his arm, “Stop. You don't know the forest well enough.”

Bellamy looked at Octavia and Lincoln. They all shared a knowing look. Bellamy nodded and Octavia and Lincoln walked off into the forest, going to hunt down the person that saved them.

“Mom,” Clarke said to get her mother's attention before running to Lexa. She slid to a stop next to Lexa who was on her knees, “Are you okay?”

Lexa gritted her teeth and pulled the knife out of where it embedded itself in her armor. “I'm fine.” She put her hand over her wound, not wanting Clarke to see. She moved her shaky free hand to Clarke's neck. “She didn't hurt you?”

“It's just a scratch,” Clarke answered when her mom got to them.

“Let me see,” Abby was starting to see blood trickled out between Lexa's fingers.

The Commander didn't move, her breaths becoming shallow.

“Lexa,” Clarke reached forward, gently taking Lexa's wrist, “Please.” Clarke licked her lips, “I need your spirit to stay where it is.”

A faint smile graced Lexa's lips. She allowed Clarke to move her hand and Abby looked at the wound. She moved the armor around as best she could before she knew it had to come off. She and Clarke worked together to get it off, careful not to hurt the Commander. The shirt that Lexa wore under her clothes was a black tank top with a bloody hole in it just over the wound. Abby pushed it up and looked the wound over. “It's just superficial. We need to stop the bleeding, but it will be okay.”

Lexa heard the words and then moved to stand against the direction of the Griffin women in front of her, “We're exposed in the forest. We must go back to the camp.”

Lexa stood up straight. She held her stomach, but looked back at Indra. They shared a wary look together, but Indra nodded in the end. She turned to the horse and took the reigns. “Do you have injured?”

Clarke nodded, “You.”

Lexa ducked her head. She was trying really hard not to smile. She succeeded in not letting it out and looked back at Clarke. She nodded to the horse, “Get on.”

Clarke looked around. Her people were walking toward them, not really caring who was taking them home, just that someone was taking them home. Lexa's look was steadfast and insistent, so the blonde hopped up on the horse. She was exceptionally tired because she had been up for almost thirty hours. Of course Lexa had been awake for the same time.

The walk back to the camp was slow. Clarke looked around them in the rising sun. The forest seemed so alive. It was so green and full of life. “Why did you come back?”

“I couldn't risk the lives of my people to save you,” Lexa answered evenly, holding the reigned of the horse Clarke was on, leading it back to the camp.

“But you could risk your own?” Clarke asked, looking down at the Commander.

Lexa nodded slowly and only once. “My people are on their way back to their homes. The ones that were too weak to journey home are in Polis until they are strong again.”

Clarke didn't want to breech the subject, but she knew that she had to, “Why did Costia save us?”

Lexa was quiet for some time. She had been thinking about it. She had been going over everything she had ever known about Costia. She clenched her jaw and looked at Indra. Indra was probably the only person that had known exactly how much Costia had meant to Lexa. Indra was riding her horse, pretending not to listen.

“It seemed that she wanted to recruit you,” Lexa stated as evenly as possible, “She wanted to use you to get to me.” Lexa licked her lips, “Either as someone who wanted to kill me or as a hostage that I care about.” Lexa looked up at Clarke, but only briefly so that Clarke would know her words were true.

“How would she know?” Clarke asked, not having to specify.

“The Ice Nation had warriors within our ranks,” Lexa answered, “They could have been spies the whole time.” Lexa shook her head, “I should have seen it coming.”

“How could you?” Clarke asked back, “You thought she was dead.”

Lexa sighed softly and only Clarke could see the way her shoulders fell, “Here, you ride for a little bit. You've been up for as long as me.”

Lexa shook her head. She looked at Indra and knew she was listening. She swallowed and kept walking. She needed to keep moving. She needed her legs to keep walking. No matter how much her feet hurt or how much her back ached. No matter how much the wound on her stomach was bothering her, she had to keep walking. She had to keep punishing herself. She'd gotten so good at it.

For a brief moment in time, she was sure she could have been happy. She could have won the war and won the girl. But she had to sacrifice one for the other. She spent her entire life being told to lead her people, help her people, protect her people. Her entire life was sold to each and every grounder before she could even wield a sword. Happiness was not in the cards for Lexa. She knew it.

“Are you going back to Polis?” Clarke asked as the camp came into view. It was so strange to see it almost empty. She could see the people that lived in Camp Jaha milling about. A few grounders had stayed because they had formed bonds with the sky people. It was all very bare though.

Lexa nodded.

“When?” Clarke asked, “I wanted to get some things taken care of before we leave.”

Lexa stopped walking and the horse stopped as well. She looked up at Clarke with tired, defeated eyes. The woman standing in front of Clarke wasn't the Lexa she knew. The woman in front of her had been shattered by someone she once trusted. It was a feeling that was still freshly in Clarke's veins.

Lexa shook her head, “You can't come with me.”

“Why not?” Clarke asked.

“It's dangerous,” Lexa answered and started walking again. “Costia will come after you to get to me. You're safest among your people.”

Clarke looked away from Lexa for a moment because for a moment she forgot that Lexa had left her alone up on the mountain. For a moment she wanted to climb off of the horse and take Lexa's hands, telling her that everything was going to be okay. Instead, she said nothing. She would take it up with Lexa later, when her own emotional wounds had had time to heal.

They parted ways between their two camps. Lexa disappeared into her tent and Indra started a fire, sitting next to it. She was going to wait for Lincoln and Octavia to come back. She had certainly not come all the way back for just any of the sky people.

Clarke made sure her people were okay before standing at the fence, looking toward Lexa's tent. She could hear her people arguing behind her. The ones that were at Camp Jaha when they got back were being questioned by the ones in the mountain. Why did they come back? Why didn't they try to help? Why were three kids the only ones mounting a rescue?

Clarke didn't have the energy to tell them to stop. She knew it wouldn't come to blows once everyone explained themselves. So she slipped away. She walked straight to Lexa's tent. Indra didn't try to stop her. In fact, Indra knew it was inevitable.

When Clarke walked into the tent, she saw that it was a mess. Clarke watched Lexa flip over her map table, the wood splintering when it hit the ground.

“Lexa,” Clarke called softly.

“Go away,” Lexa immediately told Clarke, turning away from her.

Instead, Clarke took a step farther inside, “Lexa, I know-” She swallowed her words because Lexa picked up her sword. She watched Lexa easily parried with the sword, using her wrist to fight a person that wasn't there. “I'm so good at this. I'm so good at everything. So smart. So ruthless.” She tossed her sword, sending it clattering against her throne, “How could I be so stupid?” She used her fist to wipe at her cheek, smearing her already messed up war paint.

Lexa walked across the tent and picked up a bottle that Clarke knew was alcohol. Lexa took a drink straight from the bottle. Lexa looked up, tears welling in her eyes. She shook her head trying to shake them back, “Costia taught me how to throw knives.”

Clarke knew that there wasn't anything she could say to Lexa to heal the hurt. So she walked to the platform that Lexa's throne was on and sat down on it. She leaned back on the throne and picked up Lexa's sword buying the tip in the dirt at her feet. “That was her horse I was riding too wasn't it?”

“She raised all the horses,” Lexa spat bitterly. “She gave that one to Anya because I asked her to.” Lexa took off a leather cuff from her wrist, hurling it at her bed, “I'm so stupid.”

“You're not stupid,” Clarke tilted her head.

Lexa nodded, “I am. We were together for years. I told her _everything_.” Her voice cracked when she said everything. She was trying to beat down the tears. It just wasn't working anymore. Lexa lowered her voice. “Why are you even here? I did the same thing to you.”

“No,” Clarke shook her head, moving the tip of the sword around in the dirt, “You never pretended to be someone you weren't.”

“Not for a second,” Lexa agreed.

Clarke looked up at Lexa, “I've gone over it a hundred times in my head and I don't know what I would have done in your position, but I know it was definitely not an easy choice.” Clarke shook her head at herself and picked the sword up out of the dirt, “I don't have all the answers.” She placed the sword across the seat of the throne and leaned back on her elbows, “I lost it today. It's the first time I didn't know what I was doing. I'm not the kind of leader you are. I need plans. I'm – I'm useless if I don't have a plan. I'm not quick on my feet.”

“You are,” Lexa looked around her trashed tent, suddenly ashamed of her behavior. She was more controlled than that. She was supposed to be composed all the time. She walked to the table and turned it upright, “You saved Raven when I thought she tried to kill me.”

“I had help,” Clarke laid down flat on her back, “Without help – without you or my mom or Bellamy...I don't know what I'm doing.”

“Everyone needs help, Clarke,” Lexa walked around picking up her things and putting them where they were supposed to go. Most of her things were gone, on their way to Polis with her people, but what was left was scattered on the floor.

Clarke sat up slowly and looked at Lexa, “Then let me help you.”

Lexa paused while she picked up a glove on the ground. She turned around and saw that their whole conversation hadn't just been leading up to Clarke demanding to help, but it was an opportunity Clarke took.

“How do you purpose to help me?” Lexa asked, resuming her movement, bending over.

Clarke moved to Lexa and knelt down next to her, “I'll help you find Costia. We'll get your answers.”

Lexa looked at Clarke. She held the bright blue eyes and swallowed. Tears welled up in her eyes, this time a trail of tears escaping her right eye, “I don't know if I want to know.”

Clarke watched the leader, the one she looked up to, the one she grew to care about beyond admiration. She was broken. Costia had shattered everything Lexa had ever known to be true. Clarke moved her hand toward Lexa, slipping it under Lexa's hair to the back of her neck, and pulling Lexa to her. Lexa fell into her without resistance. Lexa's arms locked around Clarke as Lexa disintegrated into sobs.

Tears graced Clarke's eyes. She sat back on the floor, knowing that they weren't going to move for a little while. Lexa looked as lost as she felt. Clarke was questioning her abilities after being captured by the Mountain Men. Lexa was questioning everything she ever knew. She was questioning her training and her motivations. She was questioning her own emotions.

Clarke's gently hold turned into a desperate hold as tears started pouring out of her eyes. In the middle of the tent, they sat on the dirt floor and cried together, two leaders not knowing what was next.

 


End file.
